Can the Ratio SUVmax of the Lesion/SUVmax of Mediastinal Tissues Guide the Choice of Surgical Access for the Resection of Thymic Epithelial Tumors?

Background: There are studies showing the utility of the 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18FDG PET) scan in the management of patients with thymic epithelial tumors. It seems to be a correlation between the standard uptake value (SUVmax) of thymic epithelial tumors and the histological type and the stage. This study aims to use the ratio of the SUVmax of the lesion to the SUVmax of the adjacent mediastinal tissues in order to guide the choice of the surgical access. Methods: All patients who presented an anterior mediastinal lesion with a high suspicion of being of thymic origin were included in a prospective database. A ratio inferior to 1 could predict a benign nature and less aggressive behavior, and a minimally invasive approach was performed. A ratio superior to 1 suggested a malignant and aggressive behavior, and a median sternotomy (or a thoracotomy) was performed. Results: There were 15 male (mean age 44.6 ± 16.26 years, range 25-73) and 15 female patients (mean age 50.1 ± 16.94 years, range 25-76). When the ratio is inferior to 1, it predicts benign disease in 80% of cases. When it is superior to 1, it predicts in half of cases advanced histological types (high risk thymomas and thymic carcinomas). On the contrary, it can quite accurately predict advanced Masaoka-Koga stages. Conclusions: The protocol of this study is in accordance with the current literature showing the utility of 18FDG PET scan in the treatment of thymic epithelial tumors. This study goes one step further since the choice of surgical access is based on the SUVmax values. The ratio SUVmax of the lesion/SUVmax of the mediastinal tissues could be a new marker, more pertinent than absolute SUVmax values.

Case Report: Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in the Wall of a Thymic Cyst.

Thymic cysts are rare lesions (1-5% of all mediastinal masses) and, most of the times, are incidental findings. The coexistence of a lymphoma and a thymic cyst is rare. In the case reported herein, microscopic foci of a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were identified in the wall of a resected thymic cyst. This case report adds to the current knowledge of this rare entity and highlights the necessity of early surgical resection of mediastinal cysts over watchful waiting.

Double right coronary artery: a plea for a standardized nomenclature.

BACKGROUND: Double coronary artery is a rare anomaly with just a few cases reported in the literature. This anomaly started being reported recently with the wide use of coronary angiography. Before the advent of advanced imaging and catheterization facilities most of the available data came from the work of anatomists. Two patients were recently operated in our department. In the first patient the preoperative coronary angiography showed two right coronary arteries. In the second patient a double ostium of the right coronary artery was encountered intraoperatively. We wanted to know the incidence of this anomaly and the available data in the literature. METHODS: A PubMed research was conducted by using the term 'double right coronary artery'. More than 50 case reports and small case series were identified. RESULTS: The review of the literature revealed a lot of controversy and debate. When using the term 'double right coronary artery' authors do not always refer to the same entity. Different definitions and classifications have proposed without, however, gaining wide acceptance. In fact, there is a lot of confusion in the literature and cases that are rather common are presented as being 'extremely rare'. CONCLUSIONS: Even though the real incidence could be over or underestimated due to variability in coronary angiography interpretation, clinicians must be aware of this entity in order to avoid troubleshooting during percutaneous coronary interventions and cardiac surgery. There is need for a close collaboration between interventional cardiologists, anatomists and cardiac surgeons in order to standardize the nomenclature.

Mediastinal debulking for a T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma presenting with cardiac tamponade.

Anterior mediastinal masses are relatively uncommon and include a wide variety of lesions. Lymphomas account for 25% of anterior mediastinal masses. Lymphomas and other haematological malignancies are associated with pericardial effusion. There are also cases where a cardiac tamponade occurred. The aim of the case reported herein is to discuss the surgical approach and particularly the mediastinal debulking as an adjunct to systematic treatment for haematological diseases presenting as an anterior mediastinal mass responsible for a cardiac tamponade.

Occurrence of thymic pathology in two families. Is familial screening justified?

The familial occurrence of thymic pathology, even though rare, is widely reported in the literature and mainly concerns cases of familial autoimmune myasthenia gravis. Other less frequent cases of familial occurrence of thymoma, thymic carcinoid and thymic hyperplasia have been described. It seems that the familial occurrence is poorly recorded and thus its prevalence is underestimated. We report two families whose members presented different forms of thymic pathology and discuss the necessity of screening programs in family members of patients presenting a thymic lesion.

Thymic pathology and cardiac myxomas: Coincidence or a closer relationship?

Myxomas are the most common benign cardiac tumors and are located more frequently in the left atrium. In the literature there are cases describing the coexistence of thymic tumors and cardiac myxomas. In the case reported herein, during the resection of a cardiac myxoma, an enlarged thymus gland was encountered and resected. The histological exam revealed a thymic hyperplasia. The aim of this case study is to assess the need of conducting further studies in order to identify a common histological pathway between thymic lesions and cardiac myxomas. The diagnosis of a cardiac myxoma could justify a further workup of the anterior mediastinum in order not to overlook a lesion of thymic origin.

Mediastinal silicone lymphadenopathy revealed after thymectomy for autoimmune myasthenia gravis.

Breast reconstruction is a very popular surgical intervention performed either for cosmetic reasons or after oncological resections. Even though silicone is considered to be an inert material, there are side effects that have been reported, such as silicone lymphadenopathy. In the case reported herein, a silicone lymphadenopathy of the internal mammary and the anterior mediastinal lymph nodes were revealed after a thymectomy for autoimmune myasthenia gravis. Silicone lymphadenopathy should always be part of the differential diagnosis of enlarged lymph nodes, in patients with previous cosmetic or oncoplastic surgery with the use of silicone gel breast implants. Special attention should be paid in case of previous breast cancer in order to rule out metastasis.

Two foreign bodies embedded in the intraventricular septum: A case report.

A 23-year old male was presented at the outpatient clinic of our department reporting that he had been subjected to insertion of foreign bodies in his chest. Physical examination was unremarkable. Imaging studies revealed the presence of two bodies in the subcutaneous tissue of the anterior chest wall and two needle-shaped intramyocardial bodies that were impacted in the intraventricular septum. Due to late appearance, the position, and because of the absence of symptoms, it was decided that the patient should be managed conservatively. Today, five years after the incident, the patient remains asymptomatic and he is followed-up regularly.

Aneurysmal rib cyst.

Thoracic cage is the site of development of various primary or metastatic tumors. An aneurysmal rib cyst is a benign tumor arising from the chest wall. Aneurysmal rib cyst is considered a rare surgical entity and its presence must be followed by removal for histology examination. We present here the case of an aneurysmal rib cyst to a young 33-year-old female. The tumor was presented as an expanding left anterior second rib mass during a self-breast examination. Chest x-ray showed a shadow on the left upper lung area and CT scan revealed a large multicystic mass in the anterolateral left 2nd rib protruding underneath the thoracic major muscle. We discuss the clinicopathological characteristics of this tumor and its surgical management along with a short literature review.

Surgical treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma: extrapleural pneumonectomy, pleurectomy/decortication or extended pleurectomy?

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an asbestos-related disease with a dismal prognosis. Ethic, social, legal and economic parameters are implicated in its management. It is quite clear that multimodality therapy is necessary to improve long-term results but precise treatment schemes have not yet been equivocally accepted. The extent of surgery is questioned and radical operations are highly debatable. On the other hand, debulking or cyto-reductive surgery have been also proposed within a multimodality approach. However, the role and order of adjuvant or neoadjuvant use of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery has not been established. The aim of this study was to analyze contemporary studies on the impact of different surgical approaches on outcome of patients with MPM.

Giant sternal metastasis secondary to follicular carcinoma of the thyroid gland: report of a case.

A 70-year-old woman was admitted to our department for investigation and treatment of a progressively enlarging multinodular goiter and a fast growing mass infiltrating the sternum. The patient was euthyroid, but computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography showed a mass in the anterior mediastinum infiltrating the sternum, with a dominant nodule in the right lobe of the thyroid. Fine needle aspiration biopsy results from both the cervical and the mediastinal masses were suggestive of follicular thyroid carcinoma. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy, thymectomy, and total removal of the mass, along with parts of the sternum, sternocleidomastoid muscle, and attached ribs. The thoracic wall was reconstructed with gortex dual mesh covered by muscle flaps from both pectoralis major muscles. Pathological analysis of both masses confirmed the fine needle aspiration findings and the patient received three cycles of radioactive iodine treatment. She had an uneventful postoperative course, but died of a stroke 8 years later.

Sarcomatoid lung carcinomas: a case series.

We report on three Caucasian Greeks 2 males and 1 female (67, 54 and 62 years old) that were operated with sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung, an uncommon tumor that sometimes is referred as pleomorphic carcinoma (spindle and giant cell carcinomas). These tumors are encountered in the thorax far more often than true sarcomas. There are many erroneous reports of pulmonary sarcomas made before the advent of adjunctive pathologic screening, including immunohistochemical studies. Pulmonary Sarcomatoid Carcinomas represent 0.2-1% of all lung cancers in different series and they are considered that they are not significantly aggressive than ordinary lung carcinoma.

Bilateral pulmonary contusion, flail chest and respiratory failure on late iatrogenic diaphragmatic eventration and severe kyphoskoliosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: We present a case of a 79 year old Caucasian Greek female with multiple acute and chronic diseases that in conjunction led to a critical condition. CASE PRESENTATION: She had a chronic iatrogenic diaphragmatic eventration, chronic severe kyphoskoliosis and an acute thoracic trauma due to a falling. We decided to perform an operation for the diaphragmatic eventration and the flail chest on this patient in the hope of improving her respiratory capacity. CONCLUSION: Managing one chronic (eventration) and one acute (flail chest) thoracic disorder would restore normal mechanical properties of the thoracic cavity, although none of these diseases would be managed surgically as separate entities.